Headtracking as an alternative to triple monitors?
- Thread starter callumjtc
- Start date
- 10
- 9357
Trebormoore84
Premium
Ah yes the poor mans VR.
Track IR is the goto headtracking solution. Its getting old now but its still the best IMO. Although its a bit pricey at £150 new, you might be able to find a deal on ebay for £100. Guaranteed to work on pretty much every sim though.
https://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/
I used this with 1:1 motion for quite a while on a single monitor before I upgraded to triples (out the box its setup with acceleration as standard which in a racing sim is horrible). 1:1 scale works really nicely and feels natural as you look into apexes and mirrors. Takes getting used to but yeah makes the most of a single monitor.
When you upgrade to triples in a racing sim it becomes kinda pointless, however you can limit the tracking to just 1 or two axis say side to side and forward and backward so you can still look around the windshield pillars in the cockpit which is nice, however if you play flight sims, triples plus this = OMG!
You'll also want a headset mounted IR clip for best performance. The hat solution is just annoying.
https://trackhat.org/product/trackhat-clip/
Alternatively i've just seen this:
a tracking kit all in for £44. https://trackhat.org/product/trackhat-clip-head-tracking-kit/
Absolute bargain worth a punt.
Track IR is the goto headtracking solution. Its getting old now but its still the best IMO. Although its a bit pricey at £150 new, you might be able to find a deal on ebay for £100. Guaranteed to work on pretty much every sim though.
https://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/
I used this with 1:1 motion for quite a while on a single monitor before I upgraded to triples (out the box its setup with acceleration as standard which in a racing sim is horrible). 1:1 scale works really nicely and feels natural as you look into apexes and mirrors. Takes getting used to but yeah makes the most of a single monitor.
When you upgrade to triples in a racing sim it becomes kinda pointless, however you can limit the tracking to just 1 or two axis say side to side and forward and backward so you can still look around the windshield pillars in the cockpit which is nice, however if you play flight sims, triples plus this = OMG!
You'll also want a headset mounted IR clip for best performance. The hat solution is just annoying.
https://trackhat.org/product/trackhat-clip/
Alternatively i've just seen this:
a tracking kit all in for £44. https://trackhat.org/product/trackhat-clip-head-tracking-kit/
Absolute bargain worth a punt.
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I have triples, but they are old and DVI only. Solved by adaptors I know but I can't justify the money for the £200 stand. I use a headset when racing with friends with only chat audio through headset and game through 5.1 so the headset clip is a good shout. Trackhat would be brill if it is as good as TrackIR
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I'd recommend this, to at least get a feel for head tracking to see if you get on with it as it's not to everyone's liking. And it costs basically costs next to nothing, and very effective.
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There is also a budget head tracking solution here - http://edtrackerpro.mybigcommerce.com/
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I have a TrackIR 5 with triples and it works great. It makes an even bigger impact on a single screen which I've used a couple times out of curiosity.
It's not realistic when people use VR headsets and other headtracking devices to move their view 1mm from their gauges (z axis) or laterally (x axis). I disable 4 of the 6 axes (z, x, y, roll) and only keep 2 enabled (pitch, yaw).
It takes some time to play with deadzones, curves, etc. I don't like when the tracking occurs while im turning my head to go through a corner; I feel the motion and view change doesn't allow me to drive as precisely on the limit so I have a deadzone set to prevent any pitch and especially yaw movement from activating too early.
It works awesome for checking all your gauges on your car, mirrrors (often rear-view mirror is out of sight without headtracking / VR), and your left and right sides which are often still fairly hidden even with triples.
If you're not getting a VR headset, I highly recommend TrackIR for a single screen setup.
It's not realistic when people use VR headsets and other headtracking devices to move their view 1mm from their gauges (z axis) or laterally (x axis). I disable 4 of the 6 axes (z, x, y, roll) and only keep 2 enabled (pitch, yaw).
It takes some time to play with deadzones, curves, etc. I don't like when the tracking occurs while im turning my head to go through a corner; I feel the motion and view change doesn't allow me to drive as precisely on the limit so I have a deadzone set to prevent any pitch and especially yaw movement from activating too early.
It works awesome for checking all your gauges on your car, mirrrors (often rear-view mirror is out of sight without headtracking / VR), and your left and right sides which are often still fairly hidden even with triples.
If you're not getting a VR headset, I highly recommend TrackIR for a single screen setup.
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That's another one I've covered in great detail. Under the right conditions, FacetrackNOIR works quite well. However, the ARUCO marker head tracking is more accurate and quicker I found.
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Pappa_G_27
AU Racing Club Staff
You could DIY up a triple screen mount. I used a second hand desk and bought 2 cheap single screen mounts off eBay which I bolted to the desk. Middle screen sits on a screen riser and the 2 outer screens use the mounts.
https://www.amazon.com.au/North-Bayou-Monitor-Computer-14-3lbs/dp/B01AI2YGK4
https://www.amazon.com.au/North-Bayou-Monitor-Computer-14-3lbs/dp/B01AI2YGK4
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My ten pence worth - I'm sorry to say I could not get on with trackIR, I found it to be disorientating during driving and (for me at least) not very natural. However, it is a different story for aircraft sims, in those trackIR really works well, so not unusable, simply needs to be tailored.
I also had a three screen setup a while back, and went away from that too, and settled for one curved widescreen monitor. After a while I found that the two extra screens (for me) didn't add anything.
The biggest change I ever made was to get the Next Level V3 base for the seat, that really did make a huge difference for immersion. Expensive though.
But it goes to show, different people find different things work for them, so my suggestion would be to see if you can try out your proposed solution before you buy.
Hope this helps
Les
I also had a three screen setup a while back, and went away from that too, and settled for one curved widescreen monitor. After a while I found that the two extra screens (for me) didn't add anything.
The biggest change I ever made was to get the Next Level V3 base for the seat, that really did make a huge difference for immersion. Expensive though.
But it goes to show, different people find different things work for them, so my suggestion would be to see if you can try out your proposed solution before you buy.
Hope this helps
Les
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